The Monsters in Your Head
by rein hitomi
Summary: A late turn of events supposed to be for the better cost one particular person the entirety of his existence. Naruto is determined to altogether put an end to Neji's madness and those after him - if there are people after him. Eventual NaruNeji.
1. All Coming Back

**Pairing:** Eventual NaruNeji, for now.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. There would be little of Sasuke in it if I did.

**Summary:** A late turn of events supposed to be for the better cost one particular person the entirety of his existence. Naruto is determined to altogether put an end to Neji's madness and those after him - if there _are_ people after him. Eventual NaruNeji.

**Notes:** My first multi-chaptered fic in the Naruto-verse. The story will be extremely fragmented and freakishly surreal throughout, changes POVs at almost every chance. This will most probably have little regard to canon, but not completely. The summary sucks big time, so I'll try my best to clear it up, even if only a little...after a few more confusing chapters. xD But the summary does give a slight idea on what this will be about, no?

Italicized parts are flashbacks, except for the first, which acts as..an introduction of some sort.

* * *

**The Monsters in Your Head**

**Chapter One – It's All Coming Back to Me Now**

**xxxx**

_( It was one of those hot afternoons, the kind where everyone promptly felt their brains fry and vaporize to the thick, smothering air; with the particles to be forever suspended there like some supersaturated solution, as Sakura had often said. Naruto never could fully grasp the meaning of such big (scientific) words, but right now, he thought he could understand what it felt like._

_It wasn't just any one of those afternoons. It was, in his opinion and the soon-opinions of those who would later know what was to happen, the worst._

_It was the worst afternoon, because there, suspended in the standstill of supersaturations and air too heavy to swallow, lay the particles of a broken soul.)_

_Naruto stopped. Sensing the chakra signatures of his squad members, he raised his left hand. Soon enough, four shinobi appeared behind him, arriving one after the other. He slowly stood up from his crouching position, placed his hands on his hip, and straightened out._

_There was something amiss._

_Naruto turned to look back at the stone faces of the Hokages and sighed, though it was barely audible behind the mask he was wearing. Something seemed… strange. It wasn't something he could point out as acutely as he could (and knowing him, that was a feat he would soon land, next to having a real and proper date with his Sakura-chan), but an ever-present feeling nagging him in the back of his mind told him things were not what they appear to be at the moment. It unsettled him quite a lot, to the point Naruto seriously contemplated staying at the village until his unease would be laid to rest._

_"Captain, what's wrong?" One of his team mates asked. Naruto just sighed. '_A mission's a mission_,' he thought. Naruto readjusted his fox mask, and once more, he straightened out._

_"Nothing. Let's get moving." Naruto said. His members chorused a "Yes, sir!" and prepared for their departure once Naruto has given the signal._

_Blue gaze restricted by slanting slits was directed at the Hokage monument – briefly – before redirected to his waiting squad. Naruto gave a small nod, muttered "Scatter," and within moments they were gone in a gust of wind and swirl of leaves._

_They had a mission needed to be accomplished._

_(But perhaps, maybe this time he _really_ should have just listened to his instincts.)_

* * *

Darkness.

There was nothing. No enclosures. No tangible objects beneath her searching fingertips. No warmth. Not a mere spark or flicker of what could pass as light. _Nothing._ So much so, that doubt had begun to form in her mind that there could not possibly be nothing in this nothingness, that this void was just an abstraction in the face of this greater dimension that seemed to thrive on the depths of a so-called oblivion. Even the words were lost to her. In this space, words were just concepts designed to _try_ and describe it. They were, much like everything else – even the clearly unclear idea of it – **nothing**.

…Then she _heard_ something.

It was fleeting, but vague, it was not. There was definitely a sound, the tiniest of them all, which broke through her encapsulation in the pitch-black interval surrounding her subconscious. But what was it? Desperately, she tried to chase its traces, but failed. She began to despair. She started crying, though she really couldn't tell, for she couldn't feel her tears, the moistness it brought to her cheeks, the sting it gave to her eyes. There was no blurring of vision, no hot pulsations, no breath coming short.

She, so to speak, began to cry metaphorically.

Too lost with dealing with the metaphysical, that little sound was almost lost to her forever if it not had been for her shinobi instincts, nonexistent though they may be in this place. There was it again, the same as before – just as silent, just as brief, but it was certainly _there_. And again. Another time. It came and went, on even intervals, which reassured her somehow and made her stand firm on a ground that was present only because it was also as incorporeal as everything else. But not that sound. It was, to her, the only thing that was real at the very least.

Real enough to be distinguished as the beating of wings.

The beating of wings… Of what? A bird, or some other? She listened carefully, more attentively for several minutes (supposing time was not on a standstill here), which confirmed her former guess. She calmed. There was not an exact reason why she did, but the steady rhythm simply had an effect on her. Perhaps it was in a philosophical sense; a sound seemingly so misplaced on a conjectural sphere of darkness and absence just deemed to her to break the concept of the metaphysical itself, or probably back it all up if it did not exist at all and was another lost notion brought about by this. Either way, she closed her eyes and listened, and listened well.

Yes, the sound of a bird beating its wings, indeed. It grew steadier and steadier with each passing second, until it was the only thing that mattered to her. It _was_ the only thing that mattered. She concentrated. What happened next bothered her.

The sound seemed to be getting weaker. It was barely audible now, had it not been for the years of training. A whisper, a sheer echo of what it used to be; that could not be. She begun to fret, but it was no use. It truly was feebler, as if it's… As if it was dying. No. That's not… Her eyes shot open.

It proved to be her undoing.

All at once, thousands upon thousand of… Of _things_ came rushing through her (as in literally THROUGH her), searing her body, her very soul in a sudden rush of blinding green light. Warped images of places, people, things, pixelated pictures of sceneries; amalgamations of pigments and tints, shades, shadows, hues; sensations all heavy and laden and just _too damn much_; thoughts; feelings; darkness and sunshine and light flooding from everywhere; screams and loud bangs and whimpers and lonely lamentations of ghouls from the very depths of this world; **everything**, simply everything lashed out at her, shredding her and flaying her alive; putting her back again and destroying her once more. As if it was the cycle suspended between life and death; that once experiences both life and death at the same time – whenever, wherever, however. (Something a shinobi knows instinctively at birth and the only true knowledge proved helpful they carry with them at all times.)

Then everything stopped. Just like that, everything stopped, as if it never even happened in the first place. And maybe it really did not. In this seemingly otherworldly place, would it even?

And so, she screamed.

"SAKURA!"

Haruno Sakura bolted upright from where she lay on her bed. Though her mind was still quite foggy from that entire dream, she forced herself to take a good look at her surroundings. Surfaces of furniture placed here and there reflected the moonlight streaming from her bedside window. Silhouettes of stacked books and scattered scrolls made up most of the tableau that was her room. Nothing had changed: not one furnishing secretly rearranged; tool mysteriously disappeared.

A dream. Everything was just that, a dream.

'_A dream…'_ Sakura thought. She closed her eyes and sighed, running the back of her hand on sweaty forehead. She clasped her hands tightly and rested her head on it, a gesture that screamed shock and incredulity. A dream. Her mind turned the words over and over, examined it, poked and jabbed and prodded at it, tried to find fault with it, to disprove it, to abandon preconception and establish rationality regarding the events of late: it could not have been simply a dream. It was not. It was not a dream. It was not. She ground her jaws firmly. It was not… It. Was. NOT.

But it was. There was no rationality needed to confirm a blatant truth, except from a denying mind. Which was what she was exactly doing, she was denying it. She was denying it because of the experience – to undergo such mind-bending occurrence that twisted to great lengths the realm of realities she believed in, would she be damned if she chose consolation in refusing herself the truth?

_Yes,_ Tsunade would say, in the same way the Godaime told her when she almost gave up the training to be a medical ninja. _Reality is only a word whose meaning stretches or contracts to what length you want_, her master then said.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled, shakily. _'It was all a…-_ _'_

"SAKURA!"

The pink-haired jerked. So that one was not part of the dream… Still, who in Hokages' names would visit at this god forsaken time? One glance at the wall clock and she cursed under her breath. Who the hell would be up and about at 3 o'clock in the morning waking sleeping people up? Where had common sense went?

As if to remind her, the person began to pound furiously at her door, making Sakura curse once more. She threw the covers aside and began to wobble her way toward her now thoroughly abused door. She would raise _**hell**_ to the person who probably knew about her legendary temper yet still dared to cross her, see if she wouldn't.

"WHAT? What the hell do you wa—!" Sakura slammed her door open and was about to connect a whack or two when panicked aquamarine eyes suddenly filled her vision. It was…

"I-Ino?" Ino was standing in front of her, eyes wide, hair in disarray, her breaths coming out short and sharp. Her clothes were also dirtied a little, probably on her way to Sakura's place. She was a complete mess, a far cry from the usual prim, proud Ino.

Of course, at that time, Sakura knew nothing of what had happened while she was trapped in the gaping abyss that was her (nightmare) dream; but when circumstances would later develop to their utmost despairing state, the memory of this Ino would often haunt her, and would give birth to the wishful thinking that perhaps Sakura should not have opened that door after all – the one of warped realities not her own, but merged with hers anyway.

Collecting herself, Sakura studied this shadow of Ino who had just appeared at her doorstep. Hurrying couldn't have done that to her; no, something else was definitely up. _'Besides, she's clearly distressed about something,'_ emerald orbs narrowed, _'but about what?'_

"Ino? What's wrong? What happened?" Sakura tried to usher the blonde in, but Ino just pushed Sakura's hand away. She took a moment to steady herself, and without warning, grabbed the pink-haired by the wrist. Sakura visibly jumped, apparently still in shock from the dream.

"Just… Just come… Come with me…!" The blonde said. Dazedly, Sakura followed, not knowing any better.

"Just where are you taking me, Ino-pig? And what _happened_?" Sakura reverted to insults, hoping the blond would rise to the bait. There was a response, but it had not been what Sakura was expecting, and sadly still, not what she had been wanting.

There was no need, no way to describe it. The look Ino gave her after a moment's hesitation was enough to send chills down Sakura's spine.

It shook her.

_(Darkness. There was nothing…_

_Nothing.)_

"It was inevitable."

"…Yes, it was."

* * *

Silence ensued. It went on, and no one had the strength to break it, in the notion that it may be the best thing to do: just let it be. Let the stillness blanket them in its indifference.

He risked a glance, and though he already knew what he would see, the feelings stirred within him by that sight was always a new one; time after time after time. There would be no sleep for him now, for _them_ – all of them, because everyone would be involved – not tomorrow, not for the next days, the next weeks… He sighed. No, no one would let this be. Not now.

"I… I can't let this be."

'_See?'_

He looked at her once more, that feeling creeping into him again, but never the same as before.

"No… None of us can."

* * *

_He gasped for breath but held ground, and tried to land a blow while I was still a good two feet away from him, which I nimbly dodged. The string of curses following my escape was what elicited "the trademark smirk" more than my evasion of his attack, narrow as it had been._

_The smirk was quickly replaced by a scowl when two of his clones grabbed me on the back, one of them grasping my hands and effectively restricting my use of them._

_It was his turn to smirk. "Looks like I win." I glared some more. When it dawned unto me that I had (truly, I could not believe it) lost, I let myself a faint smile. The clones adapted that cute-but-insolent grin he had perfected over the years, then vanished with their usual _'poof!'_ sound._

_"I win, I win! That means your treat!"_

_The smile merely widened. "…Yeah, I guess so."_

_He rejoiced a few more, only stopping when I threatened the existence of his prize. He practically skipped ahead of me when suddenly he stopped._

_"What?"_

_He became serious now. "Do you remember that thing I asked a couple of days ago?" Instinctively, I felt my body tense._

_"…Yes. What of it?"_

_He stared at me with those intense blue eyes, their colour only deepening with passing time. We stood there holding that little staring competition for moments. The sun had long set; darkness soon began to creep toward the sky._

_"It looks good on you."_

_There had simply been no time for me to be shocked, because he grinned foxily before continuing his skip down Ichiraku._

* * *

"Ino, I need you to tell me what's wrong."

Sakura kept her gaze stern as she and Ino made their way through the empty, moonlit streets of Konoha. It had been fifteen minutes since they left Sakura's apartment, without a word still from the blonde. Sakura had waited, and waited patiently until it seemed to her patience was most certainly not a virtue now and would not get her the answers she needed. Ino, though, remained silent.

This upset Sakura more than the rude disturbance of her sleep (although it was originally not Ino's fault). She gave up, then soon realized her question had already been answered after all.

The streets they were now travelling on were awfully familiar. _Too_ familiar.

Sakura swallowed a lump past her throat. "Ino… Tell me it's not… It can't be…" Twin aquamarines cast a remorseful expression at her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura–"

There was no room for disbelief, Sakura knew by now. She turned her attention to the path ahead, her face expressionless.

"It's too late for that, because we all knew.. that it was only a matter of time."

* * *

Uhm, so, any reviews..?


	2. Just Like You

A/N.: First off, a major thank-you to those who reviewed! So this was like, posted **nine months** after the first chapter that I actually wasn't sure if I would still post this up (as I admit I only finished this chapter _now_), or if I would even attempt finishing the story and just let it go supernova on me before I give this a chance to become the doubtful star that I want it to be. And now I'm not even making any sense. -_-

Anyway, it's summer here now, so I (think) have plenty of time to rearrange my thoughts and actually post more chapters for _The Monsters in Your Head_. This was, and still is, an attempt at a multi-chaptered story that I did promise myself I'll see through to the end, so let's see that I keep that promise. :) As I did not take a summer job, I think I'll just drive myself to death trying to achieve that goal. XD It's a precious break from Architecture and all it's minions of evil, after all..

Well, enjoy the second chapter of TMiYH, every (nonsense and poorly written) bits of it. :D

* * *

_A thousand words, but none were spoken_

_Guess there's nothing left to say_

_Another dream just got broken_

_Guess things just turn out that way_

- A Thousand Words, The Goo Goo Dolls_  
_

* * *

**Chapter Two – A Thousand Words (Just Like You)**

**xxx  
**

_( The passing of that afternoon was very much like… Like the first time Naruto had drunk coffee, when he and the Pervy Sage took a break from his intensive training. It had been hot too – mid-afternoon, when the sun was at its highest – and in retrospect, it would have been a better candidate for a working simile compared to his initial experience with the caffeine-loaded drink, due to a very obvious factor: that they were both afternoons. Hot afternoons. Very hot, stale-air, energy-and-consciousness-draining afternoons._

_ Maybe it was that the inner workings of working similes were lost to Naruto if only because no amount of flowery words could mask the morbidly cruel mechanisms of a ninja battle (in this case though, upon having said that, he was clearly contradicting himself on those two points by parading such flamboyant fluency), somehow the blatancy of it all did not entirely fit with the profile of what was being tried to say._

_ It wasn't about how hot it was, or how similar they were, or how maybe nature wanted to play a nasty joke on them mortals by making those separate afternoons completely identical. It was not those things._

_ It was comparable to the coffee experience, when he felt strangely omniscient thinking he knew what it felt like to drink the tar-like liquid, and so downed everything in one go. He nearly spat the blasted thing out when sensations assaulted him all at once: scalding temperature, intense bitterness that lingered on the palate – and still would, when he ever actually thought about it._

_This time, Naruto thought it was just his imagination and chose to ignore it – only to have dire consequences fire back at his folly.)_

* * *

The Hokage's Office.

Though the entire village may change from time to time, or even just in the span of weeks or days – when there had been an attack, for example, no matter how minor it was – that single room remained astonishingly the same. Just as it had been when before, it remained very much the same: the desk front of the open window where piles of paperwork lay untouched and unstamped; the single swivel chair of the Hokage, which from time to time proved to be a projectile against unlucky peepers; a few tapestries that hung forlornly for years, without being replaced because of their "historical value;" various scrolls – usually containing reports about incoming and finished missions: everything, every knick knack and every clutter and every tinkers were there, just there, waiting to be used, stamped, noticed, thrown away, replaced.

Not this time though. Yes, the usual mess was there. Yes, the wane on the lower left corner of the table was still there. Yet, something had taken the place of _something_ in the usual tableau of the office. At first glance, no one could tell. But to the trained eye, it was as if a red _(as red as blood)_ ink had blotted the pristine white of a sheet of paper.

Something had changed. It was the single open scroll on the Hokage's desk, labelled "Top Secret," a seal of a clan in red imprinted on the paper.

As if on cue, the door opened and a single person clad in black yukata strode inside, a tray held close to her side which was anchored by the crook of her left arm and elbow, while she shut the door close with her right hand. When that was done, she held the tray with her hands now, striding closer to the older woman in her usual grey sleeveless top and green haori.

Shizune murmured "Here's your tea, Tsunade-sama," placed the cup in front of the Godaime, and hugged the tray close to her chest – a habit of hers that never faded, at four years of passing time. Tsunade glanced at her first, then at the tea, before finally heaving a sigh that seemed to Shizune had been contained for days without being released, or without bothering with the release at all. Shizune's brow knitted in worry. Of course, the Godaime wouldn't have bothered. Not with _this_ particular case.

"Thank you, Shizune." Was all Tsunade said, in between pause of sipping her tea. The older woman took the liberty of enjoying the drink for what it was, something meant to relax, and placed it down on her desk again. Tsunade sighed once more, closed her eyes, and swivelled toward the window. The sun was rising now, steadily, amid the murk of slate and midnight blue that was the sky of dawn, its rays piercing the fading darkness, yawning wide, sending currents of particle waves flowing throughout the heavens, bathing everything in a silhouette of blinding gold. It was always something to watch, something that captivates anyone who appreciated the cycle of night and day, of life and regeneration.

But not now, not when they had something at hand that would never exhale another burst of life's breath, never see the dawn of daybreak again, never anymore experience the cycle of living and existing, and then living again for its free and total existence.

"Tsunade-sama?" '_Shizune, always careful, always dancing around with her words filled with uncertainty and worry,'_ Tsunade mused. Her lips lifted slightly to one side, then she pivoted back so she was once more in front of the mahogany desk.

"A-Are you… Well, that is to say, I know I don't need to ask this, but… Are you alright?" The brunette muttered, looking back and forth apprehensively between her master and the tiled floor while clutching the tray ever so tightly to her it looked about to break. The Godaime pitied that circular platter. Shizune possessed physical strength that, although could not compare to hers – or what had been once hers, the closest she could admit since that inevitable thing people call the result of aging – almost came close whenever she was agitated.

So. To save the tray, then.

"Yes, Shizune. I'm fine." Tsunade made a little show of delicately pushing the stack of papers crowding the middle of her table before speaking her next words. "The question does not need asking, yes, but not unappreciated." And that was true, because damn if she was going to make up her mind now regarding this matter without some form of reassurance from her first protégée. Or anyone at all, for that matter. Shizune seemed to relax with that. She bowed her head a little, letting a relieved sigh pass her lips, then turned to once more look at the older woman, this time with determination gathering around her eyes.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Now. What can I help you with?" She replied, placing the tray down, to Tsunade's relief. At least the poor thing was safe now. But as soon as those words flowed out of Shizune's lips and rewired themselves in Tsunade's mind, she frowned. Enough time had been spent on relaxing.

"You should know the answer to that question by now, Shizune. This matter is nothing compared to the others. What makes it worse is that, rather than the issue of who did it, we don't know _why_ someone would have done it. Honestly, I can't even imagine **how** a person – or a group of them, most likely – could think of such a thing as going against _him_ and actually succeed.

"This is no simple matter. Reasons, methods and perpetrator aside, what has really complicated it is the _legacy of the name_, that bothersome thing." The Godaime finished, biting her lower lip, but not enough to bleed, though it appeared as if that was what she would have wanted. Shizune understood, because that was exactly what she would have wanted, too.

They would tread be treading dangerous waters, courting danger at best.

Shizune turned to look at the view of Konoha the wide window offered. The buildings were no longer merely outlined by the bright light, but shadowed on places not directly facing the sun. Thy sky, too, had changed: the change not in colour, though it mostly was, but in what it _was_ in essence.

It was change: projected to the horizon; change projected to the azure veil above them.

It was that time that Shizune grasped the comprehension of things needed to be done, and her countenance gradually became grave and sombre.

"Tsunade-sama." The older woman recognized the brunette's tone of voice, slightly nodding to show her appreciation of the quick realization.

"Yeah. Exactly."

"He must not know."

Tsunade gazed at the scroll and the seal it bore, silently pronouncing what should take first priority even without half the garbage written there. She mentally checked the amount of other paperwork which contained various missions that would occupy someone for quite some time. It was useless, but right now, it would have to do. She just wished it didn't make her feel this _guilty_.

"Tell every one of them I don't care whatever it is they are doing right now, they should get their asses here _immediately_; and if they are out helping someone somewhere, no one better _die_ when they do come."

"Yes, ma'am!" Shizune bowed, then turned and ran the length of the corridor outside the room.

* * *

_It had only been _two_ days._

_ It had only been two days after the foiled attack on Konoha via the Third Chuunin Exam, courtesy of Orochimaru, but already he found himself…restless. As if they were still in battle, as if the next opponent would suddenly come out of one of the streets' dark alleys and _try_ to land him a blow. He snorted. Yes, try is the keyword here because, while he did have to admit his defeat at the said event, he still put up a damn good fight _throughout_ that contest, up until the end where he got his ass beat bad by a – again, he had to admit through gritted teeth – misconception of results cleverly constructed by that orange one._

_ This reminded him of why he was walking toward the hospital to begin with. Though he wasn't really sure if the orange was there – he only overheard two chuunins talking about it, so it could only be a rumour, and besides, he didn't look twice their way to check if they were trustworthy of such information (he didn't even look at them _once_) – but surely, someone collecting so much damage would only end up at the infirmary?_

_ Upon reflecting the flow of his thoughts, he growled. He would not get anywhere if he continued thinking along those lines. It was time to go with it or don't go at all (though it did not trip naturally off his tongue, he still went with that speech; a conclusion to one's monologue is _very_ important)._

_So he closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, released it, and set forth like the picture of aristocracy and dignity that he was._

Was_, because the moment the sole of his right foot was about to land on that solid, solid ground, his bottom beat his foot to it._

_ His first reaction was what others in his place would have done: curse, swear, and curse. Never mind that the fall made him look unbecoming of his clan's image. Never mind that it hurt because it was a solid ground. Never mind that he had not still thought of getting up anytime soon. Never mind that he was a shinobi, for goodness' sake, who knew at three that you should never let your guard down, but he still did anyway. What he _did_ mind though, was the imbecile who must be legally _blind_ as to not see someone like _him_, so unmistakable and noticeable and commanding and, and… And _tall for someone his age, _for Hokage's sake!_

_ The last statement broke his little fit (since when did he start thinking along those kind of lines, he wonders). He was losing composure, unfit of someone of his stature. He stood up in one fluid motion, then summoned all the glares in the world and froze them to a saturation of hell in glacial times._

_The glare melted when he saw _him_, though._

_ He was prepared to see _him_ again. He truly was. Yet now, now that the orange one was here, still crouched on the ground, rubbing the back of his head…_

_It was so different. So much different…_

_ He could only clear his throat, extend his hand, and listen to the hammering of his heart against his chest. "Hey."_

_(That had been their first true meeting. And yet, he could not _remember_ it being that way. He simply couldn't.)_

* * *

"B-But Sakura! Doing such a thing… And to _him_, of all people? It isn't possible. It can't be right. It just – it just can't."

Sakura sighed. What Ino said was right, on most parts. Even she had to admit that what happened was rather puzzling, and yet here they were, both of them for all the world looking harassed and downright weary. Still, the evidence must be solid enough for this kind of wake-up call. No one would bother asking the assistance of two medical ninjas who studied under the _Godaime_ if the person was not dead.

Thinking that, Sakura bit her lower lip hard. She should not think – it was crude of her to entertain such thoughts. "Yes, I know what you mean, but if they called us out here, then…

"It only means one thing. The inevitable happened." Ino shook her head, her fists shaking in undisguised anger and confusion and so many emotions wrapped up in those balled hands of her.

"I knew that! _We _all knew that! And yet we didn't ever count on it happening, because this is _him_ we're talking about; that stuck-up, arrogant little bastard who just became…! Became…!" By that point, Ino was shaking for a different reason. Sakura thought she saw something glisten when Ino jerked slightly, and her face became illuminated by the moon…

…Sakura realized Ino was crying, and she immediately felt sorry for her friend. _'Ino is probably reminded of that time, when she was giving first aid to that chuunin…'_ The pink-haired mednin frowned. No, this was not the time for this. This was no time to give in to sentiments.

They were shinobis; bound to protect the foundations of the principles of the system they were taught to believe in.

"Ino. We don't have time for these kinds of sentiment. Right now, he needs our help. We _swore_ to, remember?"

"Sakura's right, Ino."

The voice made the two jump, and though the act made them lose guard for a split second, the two somehow ended up taking their battle stance, muscles tenser than ever before, one hand clutching a kunai.

'_Like how he must have been before _it_ happened,' _Sakura thought distantly.

The figure stopped for a moment, his silhouette showing he had frozen in place. But then he resumed walking, and his steps were accompanied with chuckles that were wry and amused both.

Nara Shikamaru came into view, decked in his Jounin uniform. Though his promotion happened quite a time back, he still pulled at his vest every now and then, as if he would rather wear his Chuunin one because he found the change very troublesome. From his weary sigh a moment later, the idea might not be far from truth.

The two females relaxed and placed their kunais back in their holsters. Sakura gave a nod to Shikamaru, which he returned, if not looking graver. He then turned to Ino, but the bleach-blonde female looked away, frowning and biting her lower lip.

"I know, Shikamaru. I know. It's just," she made a helpless gesture with her hands, but dropped them quickly when she realized the two did not realize what the motion meant, "I can't _help_ it." Ino slanted a piercing glare at Sakura and Shikamaru when the two exchanged knowing looks. "Yeah; no, don't say anything. I _know_, okay?"

"Look, Ino, it's only because when it comes to things about him, you're just so…touchy. It's troublesome when it doesn't come across weird or downright scary." Shikamaru muttered. Ino just shot him a glare, but she seemed to graciously ignore this comment and retuned more or less to her usual self. Sakura smiled. Shikamaru hid a sigh of relief.

"Well, let's save our speculations for later. We have a mission to do. Ino, if you will join me?" The pink-haired med-nin turned to Shikamaru. "Let's go."

The brunette heaved another weary sigh then grimaced. The air once again turned charged and tense around them. "Yeah, let's."

* * *

No one was moving. Everyone was just standing there, forming a half-circle around the person lying on the ground, staring.

It might not have been the best thought to entertain, since the person on the ground _obviously _needed help, but for some reason, it took capital priority in her mind: that odd, odd irony of a picture – a collective group divided into two sets, standing so close with each other, fidgeting in their feet, as if wanting to leave but could not. Everyone was doing the same thing: staying still, discreetly squirming in place, avoiding each other's eyes _(identical eyes, everyone says, and yet so different when you know where and how to look)_, breathing the same stale air, drinking in the same sight of that pale, lithe, _flaccid_ body… Everyone, standing still.

Everyone was there, two halves of one clan, _together_.

'_Just like last time, when…'_

A pat on the back disrupted her train of thoughts. Hinata froze for a moment before reminding herself of the companion behind her. The tension she was not aware she carried eased a little, until she looked again at that sight, but it became more bearable by the minute, with Kiba lending his silent support. She closed her eyes and sighed, and leaned slightly on her former team mate. Kiba shifted a little closer, making the Hyuuga heiress more comfortable. Hinata looked up at him and gave him a slight smile followed by a squeeze of her hand.

"Hinata," Kiba began, "Sakura and Ino are on their way. I'll meet them on the front door now. Meanwhile – " He shifted once more, placing both hands on Hinata's shoulders and turning her towards him.

"Stay here. Well…" Kiba's eyes flashed with a mixture of dread, worry, and uncertainty. "…You really would have to, in any case." Hinata gave him a sad little smile, and nodded.

"Yes, I know. I'll take care of things here. I leave Sakura-san and the others to you, Kiba-kun." The Hyuuga said, putting a hand on Kiba's left arm. Kiba started a little, but gave a nod nonetheless. He took a step back, turned around, and headed to the main door of the compound. Meanwhile, Hinata returned to the circle, her expression growing sombre with every step she took.

'_So it begins now, Neji-nii-san.'_

* * *

xxx

Hmm, I noticed I did not follow the formatting I set at Chapter One here.. Well, it hurts my eyes looking at it. -_- Maybe I should edit it later..

Soooo, end of Chapter Tsuuuu! Reviews, anyone interested?


	3. Naked

(I am so very late in uploading this. I give you express permission to strangle me.)

Finally. I finally wrote a chapter that didn't take a whole _year_ to finish. But it did take months that should've been enough to write _at least three more_. Well, I guess I'm the only one to blame for that. :P Was too engrossed playing _Gods Eater: Burst_ and mourning Lindow Amamiya's MIA status. Also, failed to entertain my muse so he abandoned me.

Yes, my muse is male. Or males. –cough_8059_cough-

On with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Three – Naked**

"Looks like everyone's here." Shikamaru offered a wry smile as Kiba approached the three of them. He nodded to the dog trainer, who nodded back. Kiba turned to Sakura and Ino. "I assume you want to be taken to him immediately."

It was not so much of a question, and it didn't have to be. They all understood the fact that right now, there's really nothing much to ask. Not until the three of them see the situation for themselves, at least. They would be more accommodating to heaps of questions then.

So the two mednin let the silence talk for itself while Kiba once more nodded. He made a grand wave of his hands, as much to say "After you," and to try lightening some things up before they start the gruelling task at hand.

There was, after all, nothing to be gained on tension overload.

* * *

Tsunade folded her hands in front of her while she stared at the door of her office. _'Really, you'd think that after that fight with Pain and the reconstruction following it, they'd have no problem getting here the minute you summon them.'_ She did hope that, though there had been few to almost no cases of anything as bad as Pain's invasion and the endless battles that followed it, Konoha's shinobis would still instinctively know that peace could not be held for long, even after two years of it.

It seemed now, though, that they enjoyed it long enough for them to actually forget how emergency meetings sounded like when relayed by the Hokage's assistant.

After what seemed like hours, the door finally cracked open and Shizune stepped inside, the look on her face telling that she probably thought the same thing as Tsunade. Or maybe that was what Tsunade assumed it looked like, because that was what she wanted to see right now. By damn if anyone didn't feel the same as she did.

"Tsunade-sama, everyone has arrived."

"Good. Show them inside right away."

"Yes, ma'am." Shizune turned to the group waiting outside the office. "If you will."

They filed in one by one – first Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Iruka, followed by the rest – lining themselves in front of the Godaime in squad formation. Tsunade slowly turned her head side to side while she stared at every one of them. No one so much as twitched under her scrutiny; no one dared to. When silence became the loudest sound in the room, Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed.

"You must be wondering why I had all of you called this early in the morning, deep as your _sleep_s were, I _imagine_," at that remark, several flinched a little, "but needs must. And you are about to know just how _great_ that need is."

Tsunade paused. Already, the room is filled with heavy apprehension as her words gradually worked their way in the minds of everyone present inside. She clasped her hands tighter. Beside her, Shizune's countenance grew even more sombre.

"Tsunade-sama?" asked Kakashi, studying the Godaime and wondering just what it was that made the Godaime act like this. Even during the worst cases and emergencies that graced Konoha, the Godaime was calm despite being ill at ease. Not that she wasn't calm _now_, but this was a little different. Unnerving. Most _curious_.

"You remember, three months ago, what happened during the celebration of Hyuuga Neji's birthday, and Hiashi-dono's retirement as the Head of the Hyuuga Main Family, as well as the appointment of the new heads of the family and everything else that followed that doesn't need to be mentioned. _And_," Tsunade paused, locking eyes with everyone once more "you remember, three months ago, the vow we all took during that event."

Again, no one spoke. No one dared to. No one confirmed what the Godaime said because there was no need for it; no one asked why she was bringing that up now because there was absolutely no need for it.

So there, too, was no need for Tsunade's next words, but she said them anyway. Because there just wasn't anything else she could possibly say at that moment.

"Well, I'm _very _happy to say that we are now fulfilling that vow now." Tsunade finally said when the silence yet again stretched long enough.

There were mixed reactions coming from the shinobis gathered in the room: shock, disbelief, uncertainty, knowing looks. "No way…" Iruka stated, just as taken aback as Kurenai, who muttered "That can't be…" Murmurs broke out from all directions, while some preferred louder and more outraged sounds.

One of them was Maito Gai.

"But that's impossible, Lady Hokage! That – that cannot be true at all…! You want me to believe that Neji, my youthful, proud, _strong_ student – Neji, Neji…!" Gai trailed off. He was still struggling against the words that were waiting to burst out of his mouth, struggling against the thoughts that were forming unbidden in his mind.

Tsunade watched the bowl-haired Jounin amidst his internal battle. Perhaps she should have phrased her statements better, but flowery guises were not needed in a world where you watch your loved ones die or your comrades fall in front of you because you weren't good enough, fast enough, experienced enough, informed enough… Tsunade's eyes narrowed upon sensing the near end of Gai's struggles.

…_Strong enough_.

"— won't accept this. I definitely won't accept this! Not until I see…I see his bod— I see – I _need _to see Neji for myself! _I_ _definitely_ _won't accept this_!" Gai cried out, banging his fists on the Godaime's desk. Tsunade watched as those fists tremble ever so slightly, clenching tighter and tighter until she was sure Gai's palms were about to bleed. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing like hell this meeting never happened.

Hell, she wished this whole thing never happened at all.

"Gai-san! Please calm down!" Shizune exclaimed. She went beside the man and tried to placate him, but was shrugged away.

"No! I cannot stand here and listen to such _lies_ about my student being—"

It was Kakashi's turn to talk to his rival. "Calm down, Gai. Getting extremely worked up– " but whatever Kakashi was supposed to say was cut off when Gai suddenly grabbed fistfuls of his vest and pulled Kakashi roughly towards him.

"You have one of your former students in a situation like _this_ and let's see if you can keep your goddamn calm." said Gai, the words almost coming out as incomprehensible growls. But Kakashi merely frowned a little before taking hold of Gai's wrists and tugging them off his uniform.

"If either Naruto, Sakura, or even Sai was to be in a situation like this, then of course I would be just as anxious as you are," said Kakashi. He angled his body towards the Godaime, but kept his gaze on his rival. "But I would not readily deny or accept facts if there is the slightest possibility that doing so would only worsen their situation, nor would I let my worries get the best of me, when I could be planning something else to _help _them instead."

The subtle emphasis seemed to work, for Gai turned away from the silver-haired man and grew less tense, mumbling "Your right," at Kakashi's general direction. He bowed his head and said to Tsunade "Please forgive my rudeness, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade gave a small smile. She didn't know just how Kakashi does it, but that was probably what one learns when dealing with a long-time rival. "Your concern is, of course, reasonable. There's no need to apologise, Gai." The latter bowed once more, thanking the Godaime. Tsunade placed her hands on her desk and addressed the gathered once more.

"Now then, regarding the situation at hand. As you have already guessed, this matter will now be treated as a mission at top priority. But," Tsunade quickly said as it was blatant they will be asking what she's about to say next, "you will not exactly be participating much on it. Directly, that is."

"What do you mean, Godaime?" asked Iruka. Why were they called, then, if not to _be_ in the mission?

"It means that although all of you have roles in it, those roles don't really place you on the front lines this time."

"So that means we're taking the backseat on this one." Kakashi concluded. Tsunade glanced at the silver-haired man and gave him a swift wry smirk.

"Yes, put it simply. Each and everyone of you will instead be _assisting_ during the mission proper. And yes, this will be a long one, because I _want_ to get at the _very bottom_ of this," the final words were growled out by the Hokage, and for a moment she let the anger she was feeling reflect in her golden brown eyes.

Let them know she'll stand for nothing less but the _answers_; it would probably motivate them enough to appease whatever hurt feelings this lot may have had over not being the main characters of this mission.

Besides, although Gai could be considered an exception, they really weren't. The real ones, she would be meeting tomorrow. Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

The ones who would handle this mission would not have it easy for them. Which was why they would work just that harder to _solve_ it.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, Gai, and Iruka. Please inform the former Team 7, 8, 9, and 10 that I'll be meeting them here tomorrow at eight in the morning. Tardiness will _not_ be tolerated," a pointed glance was aimed at Kakashi's general direction (and his tendency to forget reporting important matters such as this).

"Please inform Konohamaru and his former teammates as well, Iruka. Also, Kakashi: I'll have Yamato help you on this one, too." Kakashi nodded. Tsunade continued, "The rest will be taking on different missions, because we do have other ones that need to be finished just as much as this one." She pointedly ignored the looks of disbelief on their faces and the mumblings of "Menial labour…," or "That's just not _fair_!" _'If they're just going to sulk and not think about the importance of that role, then I don't have to indulge them with the surprise that there _is_ a legitimate reason behind that task,'_ Tsunade thought.

"Next, you will help your former students and squad members – as I have no doubt you would've guessed by now – with anything, in any way you can. They'll need it for sure, and you'd better help them.

"And finally…" Tsunade trailed off, slowly opening her eyes and staring at everyone once more. "…the most important task of all.

"Never, and I do mean _never_, let Uzumaki Naruto know _anything_ about this mission!" finished Tsunade.

Every one of them – save for Shizune and Kakashi surprisingly – visibly froze, taken aback by the final task the Godaime gave them. That final job seemed in disconnect with the actual mission, they wondered why the Godaime considered that as the most important task of all.

"Not a word, not one impression that this mission is taking place; you'll do anything not to even give him a hint that Hyuuga Neji's life was put in danger. In fact, no one mentions the name to him. Is that understood?"

Someone spoke up. "But Hokage-sama! Why is there a need to keep Naruto-kun uninformed? Surely, as a friend, he has a right to know? What–" the shinobi was cut off upon seeing the look Tsunade gave him.

"You idiot. Do you not understand? If Naruto knew about this, what do you think will happen?" she paused. "…Don't you remember what happened with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Silence suddenly took over the room once more. Beside her, Shizune bit her lip. Kakashi looked a little wistful for a moment, before changing his countenance with that of a mask of indifference. Others had their heads bowed, or turned away and avoided eye contact with anyone. Tsunade sighed.

"If you understand, then I expect no further questions about it. In the meantime, I ask that you all see to the tasks I've given you. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, Lady Hokage!" they chorused. Tsunade nodded.

"Good. Dismissed!"

As the other shinobis left, Shizune turned to the Godaime. "Tsunade-sama… Do you think we'll be able to keep this from him?" she asked. Tsunade merely sighed.

"This is Naruto we're talking about, Shizune. You should already know the answer to that one," Shizune worried her lip. Well of course she knew the answer already. It was just that she hoped that it would not come to that at all.

Never come to that.

"…But I do hope that we can keep this from him long enough, just long enough that he wouldn't have to worry so much and start blaming himself!" Tsunade muttered low under her breath.

She knew Shizune heard her. She didn't care.

This time, she would do _anything_ to protect Naruto, no matter the costs.

* * *

"Hinata, they're here."

Hinata turned around. Kiba was walking toward her; Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru in tow. A small smile graced her lips. The rest of the clan members who had been with her just moments ago had gone back to their respective quarters, and would later head to the assembly hall. She would need to be there, too, but that could wait. This was the more pressing task at hand.

"Thank you for coming here on such short notice, Sakura-san, Ino-san, Shikamaru-san. I am very sorry for the imposition we have brought upon you," said Hinata, bowing at the three.

"Ah, you don't need to apologize, Hinata-san. It's nothing. After all, we…" Sakura trailed off, and for a moment she grew extremely anxious. "…We promised." was all Sakura said.

It was Hinata's turn to worry. "Yes. We all did."

A few moments passed before they collected themselves. They still had a lot to do, and time was unfortunately running short.

"Well then, let's get started." Kiba said, gesturing for the others to follow. While walking, he turned to them and added, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Don't be so surprised when you see him."

Ino was puzzled. "What do you mean, don't be supri—"

"—I-Ino…" Sakura cut off, her voice gone soft. When Ino followed Sakura's line of vision, she then understood why.

Sakura's voice had gone soft from disbelief.

Ino just stared. "W-what…"

"…In the world?" Shikamaru finished.

"How…could this be…" Sakura whispered again, still clearly in shock.

"The truth is… We also don't know how this happened, but when they woke me up saying it was an emergency, when I got here…

"I found Neji-nii-san like this." said Hinata. Kiba placed a hand on her shoulder, lending his silent support.

The three just went on staring, staring, staring, until enough time has passed for the image to stamp itself on their minds.

There, on the ground, lay the body of Hyuuga Neji: unconscious, unscathed, _and unblemished_.

Sakura took one faltering step, then another, until she was skipping towards the unconscious Neji. Ino was still standing a few steps back, but she followed suit when Sakura rushed to Neji. Together, the two of them examined him.

True enough, there were no visible bruises on the exposed skin of the Hyuuga. Ino pushed open Neji's yukata, and found no marks or discolorations on the Jounin's upper torso. The same applied when Sakura checked Neji's back. They pushed back the sleeves of his _yukata_ and only found a few small scratches consistent of a fall, probably while he was walking. They did a preliminary check-up of the Hyuuga's chakra system – aside from the slightest fluctuations of his chakra, nothing was wrong. Both mednins sat up straight and stared at each other, stunned.

Was there really an attack?

No one said there was; they just assumed, since it was an emergency with regards to Neji, that there had been an attack on the Jounin. That was one of the grounds on fulfilling the oath, after all. Yet neither Hinata nor Kiba said anything specific about Neji's condition. There was no outstanding evidence pointing to an assault. Anything, simply anything could've happened: maybe Neji was a sleepwalker, maybe it was something else. These thoughts reflected on Sakura and Ino's eyes that when they turned to look at Hinata and Kiba, the two exchanged glances but refused to have eye contact with the mednins.

"Hey Shikamaru, come here and take a look," beckoned Ino. Shikamaru replied, "Y-yeah…" and walked towards them. He knelt down and examined Neji, and after a few moments he arrived to the same conclusions as his female companions.

"There is no evidence of an attack, but we can't say that it didn't happen, either. Though this is turning out more likely as an accident…" Shimakaru stood up and sighed. "So troublesome, having these much possibilities…"

"Well, we might have missed some details with the inspection we made. Until we can examine Neji-san more thoroughly, I can't really tell what happened to him. As Shikamaru said, there are many possibilities; it's too early to tell which is it we're looking for." Sakura said. Ino nodded in agreement.

"For now, let's have a medical team take Neji-san to the hospital. Is that alright, Hinata-chan?" asked Ino. "Ano… Yes," was Hinata's reply. Ino smiled at her. "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Ino gazed at Neji once more. A mix of emotions flowed within her as she stared at the Hyuuga's face. She still couldn't believe this happened, what was more, she couldn't believe the information they found out, what little of them there was. As if struck by that thought, Ino was suddenly overwhelmed by some strange urge that she couldn't really tell. She unconsciously lifted her hand and brushed some stray hairs on Neji's face, absently noting the dirt smearing that otherwise pale skin, the small scratches on his left cheek brought by the fall, the slight creases around his closed eyes –

Ino froze, her hand faltering mid-stroke. "Sakura. Shikamaru."

The two started. Ino was busy gazing at Neji with that lost look in her eyes, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice the four pair of eyes focused on her and her ministrations. Sakura and Shikamaru felt so sorry for her that they did not call on Ino's attention, so they were startled pretty badly when Ino abruptly stopped and said their names in a hard, urgent voice.

"Yes?" answered the two simultaneously. Ino glanced sharply at them and they tensed.

"What do you make of this?"

Baffled, Sakura and Shikamaru followed Ino's gaze, and then they both gasped. Ino narrowed her eyes. Hinata and Kiba stayed silent. Whatever thoughts they had about assaults and accidents and possibilities went skittering inside their heads before coming to a complete stop. In an instant, their minds became completely blank the minute they were greeted by _that_ sight.

It seemed that Neji literally was unblemished…

…To the point that the Juin seal was gone from his forehead.

* * *

Dun dun dun! And one of the mysteries is now unveiled! *insert Yamamoto Takeshi laugh* Naruto wasn't in this one, though. I was thinking of adding a scene with him on it, but I decided against it because I think it would ruin the whole 'Neji revelation' thing. Next chapter though, Naru's gonna be back. :D

Seriously though, I need to start writing the next ones…and _fast_. -_-

Also, I know that the series is big on comedy and somehow inserts humour on every possible scene, but I think this story will have few to none of them, so if that bothers you, please feel free to say so. :) I kind of score low on the slapstick humour metre myself; I mostly do dry or sarcastic humour, and most times even _that_ fails. I am terribly sorry.

Reviews? :)


	4. Blue Bird

**A/N.:** When was my last update...? I can't remember, haha. Ever since school started, really. So sorry for the late update! DX**  
**

(USUK is totally eating my brain nowadays... This is how it is when you have history class on the architecture of Europe and America. I think I was about the only person in our class who looked like I'm on a sugar high.)

Oh, and if you were wondering, which I am sure you weren't, I finished _Gods Eater: Burst_. I'm still kind of ticked that Lindow married Sakuya. (My character was the one who saved him, dammit). LOL. Yes, I have a Lindow Amamiya complex.

Anyway, here's the fourth chapter of TMiYH, so sit back, read, and enjoy! :D

* * *

**Chapter Four – Blue Bird**

Ino turned to Hinata and Kiba. "Did you…?" She let the question trail off, unable to continue saying it. It was bad enough that they were suddenly faced with this situation; they did not need suspicions to add to their anxiety. Especially Hinata, who was arguably the closest to Neji.

Hinata shook her head gravely. "No. When we found him… We also don't know what it means, but I… I couldn't tell you about it until you find out for yourselves because it involves our clan's secrets. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Hinata bowed her head.

"The elders had some sort of genjutsu cover it when they saw it, and then they forbade Hinata and me from tellin' you guys. I think they were hoping you wouldn't find out, but I bet they were pretty damn sure you would anyway," Kiba smiled wryly. "Can't hide much from mednins, after all."

Ino paused to think. She stared at the two, trying her hardest to _see_ beyond what was there, what was hiding in those unspoken words conveyed through their gazes. However much she didn't want to do it, she would stay alert, on guard, just in case it turned out that…

Ino frowned, not liking where her thoughts were leading her, but was fast becoming the inevitable anyway.

"Ino." Sakura whispered from behind her friend. Ino acknowledged it with a slight tilt of her head. "You don't think this is…?"

"I think it is."

"No way…!" Sakura muttered a tad harshly. The blonde mouthed "I know…" to Sakura. The pink-haired mednin frowned.

"We still don't have proof, though. This just means that the possibilities have broadened again."

Ino nodded. "And we have to find out which among those possibilities is directly responsible for this," the blonde said, making Sakura _smirk_. Ino raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly. That was a _little_ different from the reaction she was expecting.

"Too much to handle, Ino-pig?" teased Sakura. Ino gave a smirk of her own, feeling a little better now.

She was not ready to admit it yet, but Sakura was one of the few who can lift her spirits whenever she's feeling down. But Ino would rather go on D-rank missions for a year than admit that, or even _think_ about that. It would just make the girl's forehead impossibly larger, why improve her looks?

Naturally, a comment like that deserved a comeback. "I could ask you the same thing, Forehead _Girl_. Taking the backseat already? And I thought you'd be leading this one…" Ino clucked her tongue and slowly shook her head, as if mocking the pink-haired mednin. Sakura merely laughed a little.

"I was, but then I thought I'd give way to see what you can do. Seems like both our expectations could use a little adjusting," was Sakura's retort, which made Ino scowl. Sakura's grin widened, and seconds later, both mednins were laughing to themselves, forgetting about the tension for a while.

After a few moments, Sakura spoke. "Well, let's have the medical team take Neji-san to the hospital now." Ino smiled slightly and nodded, walking towards Hinata and Kiba to inform them, before making her way to the front entry to call the team.

Sakura counted under her breath. She was on three when Shikamaru finally spoke. "What was _that_ about?"

"It's called a girl talk, Shikamaru."

"Hn. _Girl talks_. I just can't understand those. They're just so troublesome…" came the trademark comment of Nara Shikamaru, which only made Sakura smirk.

"And that is exactly the reason why," Sakura stood up and started walking away, pausing to look at Shikamaru over her shoulder, "Temari-san doesn't want to date you anymore, Shikamaru."

That left Shikamaru blushing and spluttering after Sakura, his only retort being an indignant "_Oi!_"

* * *

Once they got back to the hospital, Sakura and Shikamaru rushed Neji to the examination room, while Ino secured the most private room available for the Hyuuga. The three agreed that it would not do if everyone would know of Hyuuga Neji's circumstance, even the whole hospital itself. They would select nurses and other staff to tend to the Hyuuga later, and they would be sworn to absolute secrecy of course.

"How are we going to be sure they won't suddenly start gossiping about this to the next person they see?" Ino had asked when Sakura told them of that plan.

"Oh, there are _several_ ways to go about it. Leave it to me." Sakura gleefully said. Ino eyed the grin on the other's face, and felt sorry for the unfortunate souls who would be picked by her companion.

After the room was secured, Ino rushed to the examination room she and Sakura agreed on. She was relieved when she saw that the two had just started.

"Made in time, I see." Ino muttered. Sakura made a soft mumble to acknowledge Ino's arrival. Ino gathered her hair into a bun, turned to Shikamaru and asked, "What did I miss?"

"Well, nothing much. Although you did miss the spectacular glaring contest between me and Sakura…"

Ino raised an eyebrow at her former teammate. "Oh? Gee, what fun. I wonder why."

"It was about who would do the honours of stripping Neji off his clothes. Or, as Sakura called it, 'half-stripping'." Said mednin blushed at the comment, while Shikamaru smirked at her. Ino ogled the two. After a few moments, she sighed.

"I probably don't want to know, right?" Ino stated in a sagely voice.

"Yeah. Not to mention it's so troublesome to explain."

"Ino, stop listening to that deer and come over here." Ino did, while teasing Sakura about her apparent perverseness on unconscious patients, to which Sakura just scowled and muttered crossly to the blonde. A few seconds after the argument died down, both worked on the examination, and silence reigned inside the room.

The two mednins examined Neji quietly, every now and then murmuring observations and inquiries to themselves and to each other. Shikamaru stood through the whole process, answering a few questions every now and then, when either of the two would ask. The tension stacked higher and higher with every passing minute, as the examination continued and so far, they had not encountered _any_ kind of discovery other than the ones they found earlier.

Finally, Sakura stood straight and sighed loudly. She turned to Ino and shook her head, as much to say that there wasn't anything else to find. Ino bit her lip and averted her gaze. _'There must be something… Something we can do…'_ Ino thought.

"So? How was it?" Shikamaru asked, knowing the answer already.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. Aside from his lack of wounds and the disappearance of the Juin seal, there is nothing wrong with Neji-san." Sakura said.

"Sakura, did we miss anything? Is there a procedure we haven't done, any step we missed?" insisted Ino. "There might be something we skipped over, _something_, something…"

Sakura and Shikamaru once more exchanged looks. It really could not be helped; all of them, not just Ino, wanted to help the Hyuuga badly. It was just that at this point, they had done everything they could, by the book, through every legal and humane means, and still _nothing_.

In the end, Sakura moved closer to Ino and placed a hand on her shoulder. Ino just stood there, accepting Sakura's silent support. The stillness stretched on for several more moments, until Shikamaru broke it.

"Hey, Sakura," he started, "You said Neji is fine, right? Did you mean physically?"

Sakura looked questioningly at him. "Yes, I meant he's fine physically. Why did you—…" Sakura's eyes widened. Shikamaru smirked. He turned to his bemused former teammate.

"There's your answer, Ino."

"Of course! How could I have forgotten?" Sakura exclaimed. She had a determined smile now, and turned to her companion. "Ino, let's do this."

"What…?" Ino was about to say more, but Sakura rolled her eyes at her, and gave her an amused smile.

"I've forgotten. If there is nothing wrong with him physically, then it must mean there is something wrong with him internally. We did a check-up on Neji-san's chakra system, but it was hardly thorough. If we try it again–" Ino's eyes widened as the realization hit her.

"—then we might be able to find something, if we do a more thorough examination." Ino's face brimmed with resolve now, and she too grinned.

"Let's do it."

* * *

_Everything had been white._

_ White, white, all round him, around _them_, in the crackles and spits of _his_ condensed chakra, the sound of distant birds singing his death ringing in his ears. The background was white, his vision recognized just white, _he _was all white, and yet not at all. The moment his Rasengan and _his_ Chidori clashed, everything, everything dissolved to nothing but _white_._

_He hated it._

_ He thought they must had been engulfed by darkness, forming a ball of it and swallowing both of them whole, but inside had been just white, just blinding light, and it _hurt_ to look at it, hurt to look at _him_, surrounded by all these whites and yet choosing the shades and shadows instead._

_He hated it. He wished this white would break._

_(And break it did. The moment passed; the white burst and shattered viciously that it was delicious to watch though his eyes were fiercely shut.)_

_But even as the moment gradually ebbed away and he felt _his_ presence gradually growing faint, the white still caught up with him and refused to let him go; the white that followed _him_ with every step _he_ took away, farther and farther away…_

_He hated it. He hated that white so much. Hated it to the depths of his soul, the depths of which was tainted red and black and blue and _white_. Everytime he opened his eyes, all he saw was that damned colour, in the walls, in the ceilings, in his blankets, in everyone, in his eyes, in his hands, in his _own fucking face.

_He closed his eyes, and he hated that, too. (Because that was all he saw.)_

_So when he opened them again and saw _his_ white (_eyes, bathed in lavender and orange and pink and the colour of the sky at dusk)_, he had had enough._

_He gripped the sheets, those damned white sheets, until his knuckles turned white, and he felt the tears streaming down his face – hot, pulsing, angry, and he knew; oh, he knew, that they were coloured white._

_ The tears kept on coming. He choked on them, and the feeling was thick, coagulating the inside of his throat and threatening his breathing; he sobbed and continued to choke, didn't even care if he did stop breathing from it, because he knew that the moment he catches his breath and suffocates from it, all he would see with widened eyes was _white.

_He hated that._

_He did not know how long he had been crying, and he did not care. He stayed there, still clutching the sheets, and he did not even care whether _he_ saw his breakdown or not. All he wanted was for that white to disappear, to be gone, to leave him the hell alone, to go away and never come back and never haunt him again and to go _die_…_

_He was angry, so angry, that when he was about to scream at _him_ to _leave him the fuck alone_, he turned to his side and saw him sitting calmly on the stool by his bedside, faced away from him, and his eyes were closed._

_And suddenly, there was no more white._

* * *

Naruto woke with a start. He had not dreamt of that for a long time now, and he was genuinely surprised that he did. Well, not so much surprised that he dozed off in the middle of his watch, but it was a near thing. He never truly liked having _that_ particular dream.

His golden brows creased. Wait, were they still golden? Naruto pondered about the matter. Well, he knew they were _still_ golden, but not so much as before, because he grew up and so his eyebrow colour changed as well. People said so. Sakura-chan said so. So maybe it should be his "not-so-golden-anymore brows creased". Yes, that would work. In his grogginess, Naurot's mind jumped on that statement, seeming to prefer it to the complicatedness of the dream's implications.

But he knew when he could no longer put off the "reflection" that always came next no matter how hard he tried. It was something he learned overtime, during the days when he realized he was no longer a child and he had to face these thoughts if he were to ever move forward. So. No, he never liked that dream, ever. It was something he avoided whenever possible, even with his new "be enlightened with reflections" resolution. It was not because he _couldn't_; it was because he did not _want_ to dwell too much on it. Because he feared that if he thought too much on the implications and meanings, he would be _trapped_ in them, and Naruto was afraid that he might not escape. Again.

Naruto sighed. See? This was what he got from thinking too much. If this keeps us, he knew he would get a headache later; worse, it would happen during their actual mission, possibly while he would be engaged in a fight. Although he knew he could push through even with that kind of disadvantage, he would still rather avoid having any at all.

Blue eyes looked up to stare at the night sky. Darkness surrounded him, as per usual in the forests of the Land of Fire, and much to others' dismay, he felt more at home there than if he were bathed in light at that moment. He drank in the sight of the stars scattered like diamonds on an indigo blanket, and he had to smile. Yes, he felt more at ease here than anywhere else.

He had changed; over the past years, he had changed a lot. Quite drastically, they said. Unnatural. Too fast. Too soon. Too _frightening_.

Naruto could care less. He was a shinobi, for god's sake. It was bound to happen. He was eighteen, and at eighteen, he had become an ANBU captain, second only to Kakashi's record. Eighteen, and he had grown up to be a fine shinobi. Eighteen, and he had the whole of Konoha – hell, the whole Great Nations – acknowledge him. Eighteen, and he had been to too many battles, sometimes his and sometimes wasn't, all of which left scars, and all of them wouldn't necessarily heal. He was eighteen, and he had already seen too much of the world for someone as young as eighteen.

_'Well,'_ Naruto began thinking, recounting the events of the night that started his musings, _'haven't _we_ all changed? Me, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei… Even Tsunade-baasan and Shizune-neechan, everyone has changed now. So why are they all getting in my grill? Besides, I wasn't the one who—'_ Naruto stopped, suddenly filled with the same dread after he woke up from the dream. His brows knitted, but then he scoffed slightly and gave a wry smile. _'What the, I can't even say Sasuke's name? I guess I still have a child in me after all.'_ But yes, it was true. It was Sasuke who changed first. He changed, and changing still, to the point that Naruto was not sure he could keep up with anymore.

Naruto groaned. Really, why was he bothering himself over a _dream_ so much? It was not like this was the first time he had it; and it was just a dream, for goodness' sake! Getting all philosophical about it, even so far as reflecting on the person he had become: this wasn't like Naruto at all. Naruto gave a heavy sigh. Some night this turned out to be… It made him wish he was back in Konoha, at least there he could probably spend the night at Neji's…

Upon remembering the Hyuuga, the blonde once more looked skyward. Yes, Neji…did visit him two days after Naruto was hospitalized from their failed mission. And the brunette did just sit there, his eyes closed, though in reality it was more of because Neji himself was tired. He said so himself, when Naruto asked him sullenly after calming down.

Naruto chuckled at the memory. _'Haven't _you _changed, too? Look at where you are now. And yet, somehow, you were the only one that didn't.'_ No, Neji never changed. Yes, he became hardened war after war (_'Who wouldn't?'_ Naruto thought), but that was only evident at battlefields where they all fought. Never when he was at home, never when he was at peace with everything and everyone surrounding him. Naruto closed his eyes. No…Neji didn't…

Unconsciously, Naruto fell asleep.

* * *

_("Is it true? You received orders from Godaime through her summoned?" Hushed whispers. Four figures were gathered in a tight circle, their heads bowed. One of them raised his head a little._

_ "Yes, that is true. I received orders from Lady Hokage about a new mission." The person said. The three looked at each other before focusing on the other person once again._

_ "Is it related to our current mission? Have the orders changed?" they asked._

_ "Yes, and no. It is related to our current mission, but the orders for the scouting and capture have not changed._

_ "It is regarding our Captain, and the _promise." _The three who were listening stilled. Their thought went on the same line._

_It was time._

_ "From here on out, we must keep our Captain out of the loop."_

"_Understood," came the reply, and they scattered to scout the area before they stop to settle._

* * *

That's what _you_ think.

_Naruto's eyes shot open. '_Wha…? Who…?' _He looked around him, but all he saw was darkness. And yet, he had a feeling he was being _watched_._

…think he never changed, do you? Well, you're wrong. You could not have been more _wrong_.

_Naruto frowned. "Who said that? Who are you?"_

Oh, but you never saw it, even when he was just right in front of you. _The taunting voice grew louder and then quieter, as if (he? she?) it was repeatedly approaching Naruto and then backing away from him._ It never occurred to those ignorant friends of his, his teammates, his family, his superiors, and most of all…_ It was speaking in a sing-song voice now, and Naruto wasn't sure he was liking any bit of it._

But most of all, it never occurred to _you_.

_Naruto grew angry at that point. "Who are you talking about? And what do you mean by that something I never noticed?" There was no reply. "Tell me!"_

_He waited and waited, his body tensing more and more by the minute. Where was he? He had to get out of here. Naruto looked frantically around once more, anxious to get away from this place. Where is it? Where is the exit? Anything, anything, let him see _anything_, please…_

_He spent moments squinting in this damnable darkness, apprehension running up and down his spine with every passing time. He should be sweating by now, why the hell can't he feel it trickling down his forehead, his face…_

_A tiny sound broke the silence screaming in Naruto's ears. He whipped around towards the direction he heard it from. Naruto waited. Yes, there was it again. But what was it? He closed his eyes and listened._

Drip. Drip.

_The sound of…dripping water? Naruto opened his eyes. The sound echoed in the darkness, similar to the sounds dripping waters made whenever he came down to where the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him. But he was neither there nor anywhere he could name, so he stood still, closed his eyes, and listened again._

Drip. Drip, drip. Drip.

Drip…

_It stopped. Naruto slowly opened his eyes…_

_Two hands suddenly grabbed hold of either side of his head so fast Naruto had no time to be shocked. He tried to get away but his feet wouldn't move; he was stuck still, he couldn't move, couldn't raise his hands, couldn't look away, couldn't _move, _move, move… Fear gripped Naruto's heart; who, who, who, _what the fuck is going on, he should get the hell out of here, leave, leave, leave, _**leave**_—

_For long moments, Naruto just stood there frozen, the ghostly hands still gripping his head. He could not move. Could not utter a sound. He waited, and waited, his racing heart beating loudly in his ears, waiting, waiting, _waiting…

_Silence._

"I was waiting for you."

_Naruto caught his breath._

"I am happy you are here…"

(_He couldn't breathe. He couldn't _breathe.)

_A moment of complete and haunting deathly stillness._

_A ghastly face swooped in front of him, his head twisted upside down, his face grotesquely distorted, a sick lopsided smile plastered on _that twisted upside down head of his. "…Naruto."

_His heartbeat stopped._

_It was Neji._

_Naruto _screamed.

* * *

xxx

If that were to happen to me, I'd die. Seriously. o_O So... I'm sorry, my poor Naru-chan. May you rest in peace.

...Kidding. You still have to have those kind of dreams in the next chapters. XD

"Godaime's summoned" that was mentioned in this chapter refers to Katsuyu. I phrased her that way because I don't think ANBUs would just talk about her so casually. :/ I may be wrong, though. Anyway, I'm sorry if the first few parts with Sakura and company bored the hell out of you. Truthfully, I got bored writing it, too, and that's no good. It can't be helped, I suppose. I know next to nothing about medical stuffs. I guess I must do my research, no? Or make stuff up that still looks totally acceptable and totally awesome! XD Oh wow, Alfred is rubbing off on me... Next I'll be craving for hamburgers and cola. (Crap, I _am_. Damn.)

Please review? :3


End file.
